Why Not

I sat drinking coffee alone in the hotel lobby Sunday morning waiting for Matt to finish getting dress. A man about my age says, "Hello!" I look up and return it with a smile. He grabs a cup of coffee as I continue to read my book. He asks, "Rough night?" I answer, "Excuse me? I am on my honeymoon... I had a fabulous night.""Oh, congratulations...because of all the glitter in your hair I thought you had been partying." He says pointing at my head."Nah...that's been there for a while.""You have tinsel in your hair and it's been there for a while?" He asks a bit confused."Yeah, it's fairy hair.""What? Fairy hair? But your hair has a lot of other colors too." He gets closer and sees the blue...I smile."Are you a hairdresser?""Nope...just love my hair to be lively like my personality.""Why?" he asks confuse."Why not?"This took him aback.He kept on walking to get food and returned. "Yes, why not? Why are we so rigid, right? Why do we complicate things? I've never seen anyone with fairy hair. You are unique, huh?"I smile without moving from my seat, still holding the book in my hands. "Why NOT are powerful words. They are filled with endless possibilities, not just for hair color or fairy tinsel...but for everything."He steps back, smiles...then laughs and thanks me. He leaves with his three kids back up to the elevator. I continue to remember the many "why not's" that have changed my life. I reminisce over the thousands of choices that those two words have catapult me into new adventures.We live in a society stuck on perceptions and ideas of what is expected to fit in. When you meet someone who isn't conforming to the "normal standards" there is immediate judgment. Judgment cannot exist if there is compassion. All it takes is one person to be kind in the midst of a moment of a possible critique. It's that simple. With a kind smile and a "why not" we say yes to all that the world is used to saying no to....and that's all that we can give another. Each person is filled with a million "why not's" that can transform a day, a year and a lifetime. Try it! It's liberating....!